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Roger Federer poised to set record in Paris

Roger Federer tweeted this photo of himself atop the Eiffel Tower yesterday but the question is, will he be atop the tennis world next weekend as the French Open champion?

The winner of a men’s record 17 grand slam singles titles, the French is the one slam he has won the least: just once in 2009. This is compared to seven titles at Wimbledon, five at the US Open and four at the Australian Open.

But Federer is no slouch on the red clay – he has simply had the misfortune of being beaten in four finals by perhaps the greatest clay court player of all time: seven-time French champion Rafael Nadal.

But as a sign of Federer’s staying power, he moved ahead of Budge Patty into third place on the men’s list for match victories at Roland Garros with 56. Guillermo Vilas and Nicola Pietrangeli share the record of 58.

Should he make it to the semifinals, he will hold the record for most match victories – a record not even Nadal owns.

Federer now seeks a record 18th major title, and his first since Wimbledon last year.